SIDS usually occurs when a baby is asleep, although it can occasionally happen while they're awake. Parents can reduce the risk of SIDS by not smoking while pregnant or after the baby is born, and always placing the baby on their back when they sleep.
The peak incidence of SIDS occurs between 1 – 4 months of age; 90% of cases occur before 6 months of age. Babies continue to be at risk for SIDS up to 12 months.
SIDS is sometimes known as crib death because the infants often die in their cribs. Although the cause is unknown, it appears that SIDS might be associated with defects in the portion of an infant's brain that controls breathing and arousal from sleep.
Frequent night waking is thought to be protective against SIDS. Studies of near-miss infants and siblings of SIDS infants show that these babies have fewer night-waking episodes.
White noise reduces the risk of SIDS.
A relatively famous study (famous if you read a lot about baby sleep, so honestly you should be a little proud if you haven't heard of it) showed that babies had a significant reduction in the risk of SIDS if they had a fan in their room.
Use a firm, flat (not at an angle or inclined) sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib, covered by a fitted sheet. Keep your baby's sleep area (for example, a crib or bassinet) in the same room where you sleep, ideally until your baby is at least 6 months old.
SIDS and SUDI are rare and the risk of your baby dying from it is very low. The rate of SIDS deaths has declined in Australia due to safe sleeping campaigns. In 2017, 6 babies in every 100,000 died of SIDS. Most deaths happen during the first 3 months of a baby's life.
It may be because babies don't sleep as deeply when they have a pacifier, which helps wake them up if they're having trouble breathing. A pacifier also keeps the tongue forward in the mouth, so it can't block the airway.
Its exact cause remains a mystery, but a recent study in Pediatrics has revealed a possible risk factor. Researchers have found that an infant who is swaddled – wrapped tightly in a blanket or cloth with their limbs restricted – while placed on their front or stomach to sleep faces a higher risk of SIDS.
The results found that running a fan in a sleeping infant's room lowered the risk for SIDS by 72 percent. That risk was lowered even further when the infant's sleeping conditions put him or her at higher risk for SIDS, such as sleeping in a warm room or sleeping on the stomach.
Babies who share a bed with other children or adults. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy (three times more likely to have a baby die of SIDS) Exposure to passive smoke from smoking by mothers, fathers, and others in the household (doubles a baby's risk of SIDS)
Goodstein said, when babies sleep in the same room as their parents, the background sounds or stirrings prevent very deep sleep and that helps keeps the babies safe. Room sharing also makes breast-feeding easier, which is protective against SIDS.
Deaths could occur more commonly at night in older infants because sleep is increasingly concentrated into the night. Prone sleep position could work through a thermal mechanism, so that the variables related to bedding and environmental temperature would be more important at night.
Breastfeeding fights against illnesses.
Oftentimes, babies who succumb to SIDS have had a “minor infection” in the days before death. Infants' immune systems are immature, and breast milk helps to provide necessary antibodies to fight infections such as RSV, which can contribute to inflammation and lead to SIDS.
These decreases range from 40% in Argentina to 86% in France. The highest SIDS rates in 1990 (>2.0/1000 live births) were in Ireland, New Zealand, and Scotland. More recently, the highest SIDS rates (>0.5/1000 live births) are in New Zealand and the United States.
However, the rate of SIDS remains high, contributing to almost 50 per cent of all post-neonatal deaths in Western countries and responsible for two infant deaths in Australia every week.
The Moro reflex is the cause of your newborn baby to sleep with his arms above his head. This reflex, commonly referred to as the “startle reflex”, disappears by 6 months of age. It occurs when light or noise startles your baby, even if the noise is not enough to fully wake the baby.
It's extremely important not to let baby become overheated while sleeping, as keeping baby too warm at night can increase the risk for Sudden Infant Death (SIDS). Deb offers this advice for sleeping: Dress. Place baby in his/her onesie or undershirt, add a light sleeper, then place him/her in a safe sleep sack.
Results: The majority of SIDS deaths (83%) occurred during night-time sleep, although this was often after midnight and at least four SIDS deaths occurred during every hour of the day.
Other things that SIDS is not: SIDS is not the same as suffocation and is not caused by suffocation. SIDS is not caused by vaccines, immunizations, or shots. SIDS is not contagious.
SIDS is more likely in babies placed on their stomachs to sleep than babies sleeping on their backs. Babies also should not be placed on their sides to sleep. A baby can easily roll from a side position onto the belly during sleep. Some researchers believe that stomach sleeping may block the airway.
Infants are sensitive to extremes in temperature and cannot regulate their body temperatures well. Studies have shown that multiple layers or heavy clothing, heavy blankets, and warm room temperatures increase SIDS risk.
Babies don't have to be swaddled. If your baby is happy without swaddling, don't bother. Always put your baby to sleep on his back. This is true no matter what, but is especially true if he is swaddled.